ghostly victims of the Templars, but she exercised an exemplary
forbearance in that respect, for which Eustacie thought she could
not be sufficiently admired.

Like the child she was, Eustacie seemed to have put care from her,
and to be solely taken up with the baby, and the amusement of
watching the owl family.

There was a lull in the search at this moment, for the Chevalier
had been recalled to Paris by the fatal illness of his son-in-law,
M. de Selinvine. The old soldier, after living half his life on
bread and salad, that he might keep up a grand appearance at Paris,
had, on coming into the wealth of the family, and marrying a
beautiful wife, returned to the luxuries he had been wont only to
enjoy for a few weeks at a time, with in military occupation of
some Italian town. Three months of festivities had been enough to
cause his death; and the Chevalier was summoned to assist his
daughter in providing for his obsequies, and in taking possession
of the huge endowments which, as the last of his race, he had been
able to bequeath to her. Such was the news brought by the old
nurse Perrine, who took advantage of the slackening vigilance of
the enemy to come to see Eustacie. The old woman was highly
satisfied; for one of the peasants' wives had--as if on purpose to
oblige her Lady--given birth to twins, one of whom had died almost
immediately; and the parents had consented to conceal their loss,
and at once take the little Demoiselle de Ribaumont as their own--
guarding the secret till her mother should be able to claim her.
It was so entirely the practice, under the most favourable
circumstances, for French mothers to send their infants to be
nursed in cottages, that Perrine was amazed by the cry of angry